Miner killed in Turkish coal mine

A miner died Tuesday in a coal mine accident in the western province of Manisa's Soma district, the same area where 301 miners were killed after a massive explosion that gathered worldwide attention last May.

Today’s Zaman reports that 36-year-old Metin Keskin resulted severely injured after getting stuck between construction equipment and an iron pole. He was rescued by rescued colleagues and rushed to Soma State Hospital, where he later died.

Coal mining is a major industry in the region, helping to supply a nearby lignite-fired thermal power plant, but safety has long been a concern.

Unfortunately, mining accidents are common in Turkey, where poor safety conditions have cost 3,000 lives since 1941. The nation's second worst mining disaster was a 1992 gas explosion that killed 263 workers near the Black Sea port of Zonguldak.

May’s mining tragedy, Turkey's deadliest, also became the worst in a series of incidents in the coal sector, which has seen over 30,000 die since 1970.